Structural changes of aromatic polyamide nanofibers upon annealing treatment

Aromatic polyamide nanofibers with trifluoromethyl groups prepared using a precipitation polymerization method were annealed at various temperatures. The X-ray diffraction patterns and infrared spectra of the annealed products depended strongly on the annealing temperature. There was a transition in the temperature region of 250–300°C, where the conformation and the mobility of molecular chains changed significantly. Furthermore, the intermolecular hydrogen bonding increased, resulting in a higher degree of crystallinity. However, the morphology was unchanged. Meanwhile, the molecular structure and degree of crystallinity depended on the reaction period. However, those obtained by the annealing treatments above 250°C were the same.     

Control of thermal cross‐linking reactions and the degree of crystallinity of syndiotactic 1,2‐polybutadiene

Thermal stability, crystallization, morphological development, subsequently melting, and crystallinity control of a syndiotactic 1,2‐polybutadiene sample were carefully carried out by thermogravimetry (TGA), polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC), and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), respectively. The experiments indicate that thermal cross‐linking reaction rates under nitrogen protection and in air are different for this polymer at temperature above 155 °C. Under nitrogen protection, the thermal cross‐linking reaction rate is delayed and the mechanism of melt crystallization obtained from the DSC results is in good accordance with that from POM observation. TMDSC results indicate that melting–recrystallization–melting model is more proper to explain the double melting events of this sample. At the same time, the evolution of the degree of crystallinity as the function of the time was investigated by WAXD profiles for the samples firstly crystallized at 145 °C for 1 h and then kept at 163 °C mediated between the temperatures of the double peaks. It shows that as prolonging the annealing time at 163 °C thermal cross‐linking reactions possibly occur, leading to gradual reduction of the apparent crystallite sizes, evaluated by Scherrer equation and the degree of crystallinity. The changing sequence of the relative intensity of the stronger four diffraction peaks with time due to thermal cross‐linking reactions is (111)/(201) > (210) > (010) > (200)/(110). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2885–2897, 2005     

The specific heat of linear polyethylene after annealing at low temperatures

After annealing at low temperature, linear polyethylene displays an unusual feature in its specific heat curve. On heating, a maximum is observed just above the annealing temperature. The magnitude of this excess specific heat is dependent on the initial level of crystallinity and the temperature and time of annealing. The maximum does not reappear on subsequent cooling followed by rapid heating and represents the formation and disappearance of an unstable structure. These results can be interpreted as a crystallization-melting phenomenon and are consistent with the wide-angle x-ray diffraction patterns. The optimum effects are observed in the β-region (?50°C to 0°C) and could possibly lead to complications in interpreting other phenomena in this temperature range.     

Increase in dynamic modulus of nylon 6 fiber in repeated heating and cooling cycles under sinusoidal deformation

The repeated heating and cooling cycles under sinusoidal deformation have been investigated on nylon 6 fibers. The fibers zone-drawn twice at high temperatures were used, which have a crystallinity of 52.2% and a birefringence of 59.4×10^?3. The heating and cooling cycle was performed twice at a frequency of 110 Hz over a temperature range from 0°C to 180°C and 190°C. The crystallinity and birefringence of the treated fiber were 51.7% and 60.7×10^?3, respectively, indicating almost no changes in molecular orientation and crystallinity. However, the dynamic modulus, E′, increased steadily over whole temperature range measured. Finally, the E′ value reached 21 GPa at room temperature and 10 GPa ever at 180°C. The elongation of fiber after two cycles was only about 5%. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structure and properties of the mesophase of syndiotactic polystyrene. I. Effect of casting conditions on the preparation of the mesophase

A syndiotactic polystyrene–toluene solution was cast under two different casting conditions to obtain the δ form. A systematic study of its conformational transition, thermal behavior, and structural transformation as functions of the annealing temperature and time was performed. Spectroscopic studies revealed the content of its helical conformations and its retention up to 190 °C. Thermal analyses showed a significant difference in the transformation from the γ form to the α form. The retention of the intermediate emptied clathrate form (mesophase) of the conformational order for a longer duration (from 120 to 180 °C) in a syndiotactic polystyrene membrane cast at room temperature was confirmed by X‐ray diffraction analysis. On the basis of the experimental results in this work, the transition mechanism is discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 530–536, 2002; DOI 10.1002/polb.10120     

Initial steps of thermal degradation of PVC prepared at various temperatures

PVC samples were obtained by bulk polymerization initiated with AIBN and ultraviolet irradiation at 40, 25, 0, ?30, and ?50°C. They were characterized by ¹³C NMR measurements, infrared spectroscopy, GPC in hexamethylphosphoramide and B.E.T. surface area measurements. Their thermal degradation was studied between 110 and 185°C by using continuous titration of HCl evolved through a conductimetric cell. The ultraviolet spectra were recorded at various steps of the degradation. At high degradation temperatures, the more syndiotactic the polymer, the longer the polyene average sequences are. The amount of HCl evolved is minimum for a polymerization temperature of 0 or 25°C, depending on the degradation temperature and on the morphology of the polymer. The results are discussed in terms of chemical factors (tacticity distribution, molecular weight) as well as of physical factors (morphology, interval viscosity).     

Morphological change of crystalline polymer films by annealing: substrate‐ and heating/cooling‐rate‐dependent surface roughness

We study the morphological change of crystalline polymer films by annealing using atomic force microscope, X‐ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. As typical samples, we employ high‐density and low‐density polyethylene films prepared by the cast method. After annealing at 135 °C for 4 h, the surface roughness of polyethylene films by the atomic force microscope significantly increases, and the crystallite size by the X‐ray diffraction also shows some increase, while the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectrum hardly exhibits any change. This can be well explained as a result of the growth of crystal structure by recrystallization during annealing. More interestingly, we find that the choice of the substrate and also the heating/cooling rates for annealing significantly influences the surface roughness of the films. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Film‐formation property of vinylidene chloride‐methyl methacrylate copolymer latex. II. Effect of latex storage temperature

Changes in the minimum film‐formation temperature (MFFT) of 91:9 wt % vinylidene chloride (VDC)‐methyl methacrylate (MMA) latex prepared by the seeded batch process during storage at 5, 20, and 40 °C were investigated. MFFT of the latex rose the fastest at 20 °C. Infrared absorption of fresh and stored latexes and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction of powder polymers obtained by lyophilization of fresh and stored latexes indicated a much greater increase in polymer crystallinity during latex storage at 20 °C than at 5 and 40 °C. Observed increases in MFFT during latex storage correlated with increases in polymer crystallinity. Infrared absorption of polymer stored at 5–60 °C in the dry state, such as lyophilized polymer and coating film, indicated that a polymer crystallinity increase was greater during storage at higher temperatures. These results showed that crystallization behavior of 91:9 wt% VDC‐MMA copolymer latex differed from that of VDC‐MMA copolymer in the dry state. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 948–953, 2002     

Molecular transitions in an alternating copolymer of ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethylene

Three transitions have been found with peaks at 130°C (α), 88°C (β), and ?65°C (γ), by mechanical relaxation techniques for a quick-quenched sample of an alternating copolymer of ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethylene. The intensity of the α transition was found to increase with an increase in crystalline content. It was observed at 150°C by infrared and x-ray diffraction techniques and by mechanical relaxation spectra on an annealed sample. X-ray diffraction and dichroic infrared measurements were conducted on oriented specimens as a function of temperature. These data showed that the β transition was accompanied by a change in lateral bonding distances in the crystalline phase and a conformational change attributed to an “unkinking” of the molecular chain. The β transition was found to be related to the amorphous phase and the onset of the β peak corresponded to the transition at 35°C found by infrared techniques and previously by a torsional modulus method. It was tentatively assigned to the glass transition. A more definitive assignment of the β transition would depend on a detailed structural analysis of the γ transition. The γ peak was not studied in detail in the present work.     

Polymorphism of nylon‐6 in multiwalled carbon nanotubes/nylon‐6 composites

The effects of pristine and amino‐functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on the crystallization behaviors of nylon‐6 were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray diffraction. The results indicate the presence of polymorphism in nylon‐6 and its composites, which is dependent on the MWNTs concentration and the cooling rate. More MWNTs and slow cooling from the melt favors the formation of α crystalline form. With the increase in cooling rates, the crystallinity of neat nylon‐6 decreases, and that of the composites decreases initially but increases afterward. Moreover, the degree of crystallinity of the composites is higher than neat nylon‐6 under high cooling rates, counter to what is observed under low cooling rates. The heterogeneous nucleation induced by MWNTs and the restricted mobility of polymer chains are considered as the main factors. Furthermore, addition of MWNTs increases the crystallization rate of α crystalline form but amino‐functionalization of MWNTs weakens this effect. The influence of thermal treatment on the crystalline structure of MWNTs/nylon‐6 composites is also discussed. A γ–α phase transition takes place at lower temperature for MWNTs/nylon‐6 composites than for nylon‐6. The annealing peaks of the composites annealed at 160 °C are higher than that of neat nylon‐6, and the highest annealing peak is obtained for amino‐functionalized MWNTs/nylon‐6 composites. This phenomenon is closely related to the different nucleation and recrystallization behaviors produced by various MWNTs in confined space. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1499–1512, 2006     

Annealing of Oriented PP/PE Double-layer Film within the Melting Range of PE: the Role of Partial Melting and Self-nucleation

Due to the mechanical stability of the PP layer, the oriented PP/PE double-layer film with a row-nucleated crystalline structure can be annealed at a higher temperature than the PE monolayer film. In this work, the effects of annealing temperature within the melting range of PE on the crystalline structure and properties of PP/PE double-layer films were studied. When the annealing temperature is between 100 and 130 °C, below the melting point of PE, the crystallinity, the long period, lateral dimension and orientation of the lamellae in the PE layer increase with the annealing temperature due to the melting of thin lamellae and the self-nucleated effect of partially-melted melts during annealing. With the annealing temperature further increasing to 138 °C, near the melting ending point of PE, since the lamellae melt completely and the melt memory becomes weak during annealing, some spherulite structures are formed in the annealed sample, resulting in a decrease of orientation. In contrast, the annealing only causes the appearance of a low-temperature endothermic plateau in the PP layer. The improved size and orientation of lamellar structure in the PE layer increase the pore arrangement and porosity of the stretched PP/PE microporous membrane. This study successfully applies the self-nucleation effect of partially-melted polymer melt into the practical annealing process, which is helpful to guide the production of high-performance PP/PE/PP lithium batteries separator and the annealing process of other multilayer products.

     

Polymerization of para-xylylene derivatives (parylene polymerization). IV. Effects of the sublimation rate of di-p-xylylene on the morphology and crystallinity of parylene N deposited at different temperatures

The effect of the sublimation rate of di-p-xylylene on the crystallinity and morphology of Parylene N deposited on stainless steel was studied as a function of substrate temperature. For a given rate of dimer sublimation, the deposition rate increases with decreasing substrate temperature. Increasing the sublimation rate of the dimer increases the deposition rate 10-fold, decreases the crystallinity, and shifts the appearance of the hexagonal β structure towards higher substrate temperature for samples synthesized from room temperature (RT) to ?60°C. Solution annealing resulting from solvent extraction, and isothermal annealing, increase the crystallinity of the polymers and result in structures containing both α and β polymorphs. The surface topology, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), for polymers synthesized from RT to ?40°C shows a globular structure, whereas low temperature samples exhibit a rod-type morphology. For higher sublimation rates of the dimer, SEM micrographs show that oligomeric species start appearing on the polymer films after a period of 4–5 days. Solvent extraction removes the oligomeric crystals, and GPC analysis of the resulting extract indicates that most of the oligomers range in molecular weight from 100 to 900. The cross-sectional morphology for fractured low temperature samples, however, reveals different morphologies as polymerization proceeds. It is postulated that in the temperature range ?50 to ?78°C, both surface condensation and surface adsorption of monomer occurs, leading to different morphologies and lower crystallinity. The polymer synthesized at liquid nitrogen temperature shows the presence of voids along with different morphologies. X-ray diffractograms of polymers synthesized at liquid nitrogen reveal a considerable amount of amorphous phase in the films. Hence, it is inferred that, although the liquid nitrogen polymerization is a solid state polymerization of the crystalline monomer, it does not lead to 100% crystalline material, and the reasons for this are discussed.     

Chain-folding measurements in annealed poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Chain folding in unoriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films has been investigated as a function of annealing time and temperature. To meet this objective dynamic mechanical, infrared, and molecular weight measurements were used, together with selective chemical degradation to remove chain folds and amorphous regions. The β dispersion in the dynamic mechanical spectrum of PET is here tentatively associated with motions of methylene and/or carboxyl groups in irregular chain folds; the β dispersion is not found in quenched amorphous polymer, in polymer where amorphous regions and chain folds have been removed, or in highly annealed PET where the irregular folds have regularized. Upon mild crystallization and annealing (30 min at 110°C) of initially amorphous film a large β dispersion appears and then diminishes upon further annealing at 220°C. As the β dispersion diminishes, the infrared regular fold band increases more than the crystallinity band, indicating regularization of folds. The molecular weight of the degraded residue corresponds approximately to typical fold-period dimensions (～130 Å), and increases on annealing as expected from lamellar thickening. The degradation process has, by fold removal, reduced the chains in the crystals to a very short, uniform length.     

Further annealing studies of the calcium salt of an ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer

Annealing studies of the calcium salt of an ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer are reported. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were applied to the investigation of the effect of polyethylene crystallization on ionic structure as a function of annealing temperature and time. The spectroscopic changes observed in the spectra of the calcium salt annealed at 80°C differ from those seen in the spectra of the calcium salt annealed at room temperature. These changes are interpreted in terms of the multiplet-cluster model and the effect of the polyethylene-type crystallinity on the ionic microstructure.     

Radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate). IV. Influence of solvent type

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was polymerized by radical initiation at 25°C or 35°C in various solvents in the presence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The occurrence of stereospecific replica polymerization appeared to be related to the capability of stereoassociation of isotactic and syndiotactic PMMA. The solvents can be roughly divided into three types. Type A solvents are polar solvents, which promote stereoassociation resulting in gelation and precipitation. Examples are dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and acetone. Type B solvents are nonpolar aromatic solvents like benzene and toluene, wherein stereoassociation is weaker but still leads to gelation. Type C solvents are very good solvents, in which stereoassociation does not occur. Chloroform and dichloromethane belong to this class. In solvents of type A as well as type B, polymerization in the presence of i-PMMA as a polymer matrix was syndiospecific. However, in the presence of s-PMMA as a polymer matrix the polymerization was isospecific only in type A solvents. The syndiotactic or isotactic triad contents of the polymer formed could be as high as ca. 90% at low conversions. In solvents of type C, polymerization in the presence of stereoregular PMMA proceeds according to a normal radical mechanism. Syndiotacticity was always less than 70%. Stereocomplexes formed in situ during replica polymerization were partly crystalline as detected by x-ray diffraction. The highest crystallinity was detected in those formed in type A solvents.     

Thermal stability of porous it‐PMMA thin film obtained by the extraction of st‐PMAA from it‐PMMA/st‐PMAA stereocomplex with layer‐by‐layer assembly on a substrate

The functionality of porous isotactic (it) poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thin films, which were previously developed by the selective extraction of syndiotactic (st) poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) from the it‐PMMA/st‐PMAA stereocomplex thin film on a substrate using the layer‐by‐layer assembly method was investigated after thermal treatment (70, 80, and 90 °C) in water for 4 h. Quartz crystal microbalance analysis and infrared spectra measurements revealed that the st‐PMAA incorporation ability of the porous it‐PMMA thin film decreased in order at 80 and 90 °C, while there was no decrease observed at 70 °C. X‐ray diffraction analysis also supported the thermal stability of the porosity at 70 °C, whereas two it‐PMMA crystalline peaks (2θ = 9° and 14°) were generated during heating at 90 °C. The loss of the functionality of the it‐PMMA thin film was thus shown to be due to crystallization, which was caused by the increase in polymer‐chain mobility during the heating process. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3265–3270, 2010     

Wide-angle X-ray diffraction study of the effect of periodate oxidation and thermal treatment on the structure of cellulose powder

Cellulose and periodate oxidised cellulose powders were investigated for any structural changes occurring when subjected to thermal treatment, since their use as fillers in composites involves prolonged exposure to high temperatures. The wide-angle X-ray diffraction peak at 2θ = 22·9° for the oxidised cellulose samples was found to decrease almost proportionately to the degree of oxidation of the starting cellulose. Whereas heat treatment of cellulose powder at 120°, 180° and 240°C for three hours also produces a continual decrease in the crystallinity of the cellulose, heat treatment of periodate oxidised cellulose at 120°, 180° and 240°C for three hours produces drastic changes in the crystallinity of the resultant products. For 16% oxidised cellulose heated at 240°C for three hours, almost total crystallinity is lost. This is also seen from the increase in line broadening of the X-ray diffractogram. An interesting feature in the above cases was the appearance of an additional peak at 2θ ≈ 12°. In DTG studies the temperature at which the major loss in weight (～ 62%) occurred was ～ 290°C for most samples. The final weight loss (～ 85%) generally occurred at 430–450°C. The 16% oxidised cellulose behaved somewhat differently, and reasons for this are explained.     

Annealing effects in poly(vinylidene fluoride) as revealed by specific volume measurements,differential scanning calorimetry,and electron microscopy

Specimens of poly(vinylidene fluoride), crystal form II, annealed at different temperatures between 130 and 180°C were characterized by specific volume measurements, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and electron micróscopy. The degree of crystallinity calculated from the specific volume changed only by 15% i.e., from 50% to 65%. On the other hand, the melting behavior changed with annealing conditions. When a specimen was annealed above 170°C, two endothermic peaks appeared on either side of the annealing temperature. Results from DSC measurements made at different heating rates and electron microscopy showed that the two endotherms were caused by a bimodal distribution of lamellar thicknesses. The equilibrium melting point was found to be 210°C from the linear relation of the melting point and the annealing temperature. The equilibrium enthalpy and entropy of fusion were found to be 1.6 keal/mole and 3.3 eu/mole of repeat units by measurement on polymer–diluent mixtures. The surface free energy was found to be 5.1 kcal/mole of lamellar sequences from the plot of melting point versus reciprocal lamellar thickness obtained by electron microscopy. From a plot of enthalpy of fusion versus reciprocal lamellar thickness the surface enthalpy was found to be 20 keal/mole of lamellar sequences. These data lead to the estimate that a chain fold consists of about 30 repeat units.     

Dissolution mechanism of semicrystalline poly(vinyl alcohol) in water

Changes occurring in the degree of crystallinity and lamellar thickness distribution of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) samples during dissolution in water were investigated. PVA samples of three different molecular weights were crystallized by annealing at 90, 110, and 120°C. The initial degrees of crystallinity measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) varied from 43 to 60% and the average lamellar thicknesses measured by DSC ranged from 50 to 400 Å. PVA dissolution was followed at 25, 35, and 45°C from 30 s up to 195 min. Lamellar thicknesses were determined as a function of dissolution time using DSC. There was an initial drastic decrease in the degree of crystallinity, which leveled off to a fairly constant value before reaching zero by the time the polymer dissolved completely. Increase in molecular weight led to lesser number of crystals, but with larger average lamellar thickness, which were more stable in the presence of water. Increase in crystallization temperature or decrease in dissolution temperature led to larger average lamellar thickness. Based on these findings, a dissolution mechanism involving unfolding of the polymer chains of the crystal was proposed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The Influences of Elastomer toward Crystallization of Poly(lactic acid)

Poly (lactic acid)/elastomer blends were prepared via direct injection molding. In non-isothermal crystallization scan, the crystallinity of PLA increased with a decrease in the heating and cooling rate. The melt crystallization of PLA appeared in the low cooling rate (1, 5 and 7.5°C/min). The presence of elastomer tended also to increase the crystallinity of PLA. However, it started to decrease in 30% of elastomer. It was also showed by the decreasing of cold crystallization activation energy. Elastomer also gave plasticization effect in PLA properties. Thermal treatment through annealing completed after 1 h at 80 °C. In isothermal crystallization scan, the cold crystallization rate increased with increasing crystallization temperature in the blends. The Avrami analysis showed that at low temperatures, the cold crystallization had two regime processes whereas at high temperature only one stage was observed.